Lauren Ruotolo was born and raised in New Haven county and is excited to bring her skills to Common Ground as the new Grant Writer & Prospect Research Specialist. With over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector focused on environmental education, agriculture, and food access, she brings a passion for sustainable and vibrant food systems. Lauren graduated from Flagler College where in addition to receiving a B.A. in Sociology and Environmental Studies, she helped build an on-campus recycling program and student community garden. Lauren discovered the development sector while she was Program Manager for the Hawaii Institute of Pacific Agriculture where she began to write grants to support initiatives in need of more funding. With great success, she later became Director of Development & Communications and helped to increase organizational capacity through fundraising that more than doubled the organization’s operating budget. She would describe her life as being steered by strong ethical integrity to promote ecological well-being through activism and non-profit roles. Lauren has worked and volunteered in many sectors outside of development including natural resource management focused on aquaculture, horticultural therapy, farming, and sustainable garden design. Lauren finds inspiration in tending to gardens, writing poetry, picking up marine debris, wild foraging, and exploring with her Hawaiian border collie Fern.